Chapter 41

§ 1.

In that He hath called some, Angels of the Devil, for whom eternal fire is prepared; and again saith of the tares, The tares are the children of the evil one;¹ we must needs say that all who belong to the Apostasy are ascribed by Him to that being who is head in that transgression. Not that he did at all make either Angels or men in respect of nature. For we find not that the Devil made anything at all, being of course himself too the creature of God, just as other Angels are.² For God made all things: as David also saith, That He spake and they were made; He commanded, and they were created.

§ 2.

All things then being made by God, and the devil having become to himself and the rest the cause of Apostasy: justly hath the Scripture always called such as persist in Apostasy sons of the Devil,³ and Angels of the Wicked one. For the word son, as a certain person also before us hath said, has two meanings: One is naturally such, as being born a son; while another is counted for a son, because he is made such: notwithstanding the difference between the born and the made: which consists in the one having actual birth of such a person, while the other is made by the same person, either in the way of physical creation, or in the way of learning and teaching: since he who is instructed by a man, is called the son of his instructor, and the other, his father. In the nature then which we have by creation, we are, so to speak, all children of God, because we are all created by God. But in respect of obedience and learning, not all are God’s children, but such as believe Him and do His Will. As for such as believe not, and do not His Will, they are the children and Angels of the Devil. And because such is the case, He said in Esaias,⁴ I have begotten and brought up sons, but they have scorned Me. And again, where He calls them sons of others, thus,⁵ The sons of others have lied unto Me. Thus in nature they are Sons, because they were made by Him, but in regard of their works they are not sons.

§ 3.

For as among men, sons disowned for disobedience to their fathers are indeed their sons by nature, but by law are alienated, not being made heirs to their natural parents: in like manner with God, such as obey Him not, disowned by Him, cease to be His sons. Whence also they cannot receive His inheritance;⁶ as David saith, They are alienated, sinning from the womb:⁷ their wrath is in the likeness of a serpent. And therefore the Lord in this sense called those the progeny of vipers, whom He knew to be the progeny of men; because after the likeness of those animals they walk in craft, and hurt others. Take heed, saith He,⁸ of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.⁹ Yea, and speaking of Herod He saith, Tell that fox: indicating his wicked cunning and deceit. Wherefore the Prophet David saith,¹⁰ Man being in honour is likened unto beasts of burthen. And Jeremiah again, They became wild horses in regard of women,¹¹ every one was neighing after his neighbour’s wife. And Esaias preaching in Judæa,¹² and disputing with Israel, called them rulers of Sodoṃ ạnd people of Gomorrah: signifying a transgression like the Sodomites, and that there were with these the same sins which they had; because of their like doings calling them by the same name. And that they were not in nature so made by God, but such as might also do rightly, the same Prophet said (giving them good counsel),¹³ Wash ye, he clean, take away wickednesses from your souls before Mine eyes, rest from your iniquities. That is, because these same persons on account of their transgression and sin received the same reproof as the Sodomites. For upon being converted, and doing penitency, and resting from their evil way, they might be sons of God; and win that inheritance of incorruption, which is bestowed by Him. You see that in this sense He called them Angels of the Devil and sons of the Wicked one, who believe the Devil, and do his works. And yet from the beginning these all were made by one and the same God. But as long as they believe, and persevere in allegiance to God, and keep His doctrine, they are sons of God. But on falling away by transgressing, they are enrolled under the devil as their prince, under him who first to himself and afterwards to the rest became the cause of Apostasy.

§ 4.

Now because our Lord’s discourses, many as they are, do all of them set forth one and the same Father as Maker of this world, we too were obliged, for the sake of those who are holden fast in many errors, to refute them in many ways; if haply they might by those many ways be refuted, and converted to the truth, and saved. But it is requisite in this treatise, to subjoin next after our Lord’s discourses the teaching also of Paul, and to weigh well his opinion¹⁴, and to expound the Apostle, and to explain whatever has received from the heretics other interpretations (they not at all understanding the sayings of Paul), and to shew the wildness of their folly: and out of the same Paul, from whom they start difficulties for us, to shew that they are given to lying, while the Apostle is a Preacher of the truth, and that he taught all things in agreement with the proclamation of the Truth—that there is one only God and Father, He Who spake unto Abraham, Who gave the Law, Who sent the Prophets before Him, Who in the last times sent His Son, and Who giveth salvation to the work of His own Hands, which is the substance of the Flesh.

The other discourses therefore of the Lord, those I mean wherein He taught of the Father not in Parables but simply in literal words, as also the Exposition of the Blessed Apostle’s Epistles, we will arrange in another Book, so by God’s help furnishing thee with the work completed of reproof and overthrow of the Knowledge falsely so called: thus in five Books training both ourselves and thee to the refutation of all Heretics.